Q777
2006-05-15, 22:38
SHORTVERSION AT END
I live in a small town in the mid west. My (public) school is very Christian. Many teachers and students can be found with crosses on there necks and there a Christian related meeting in the school gym every Wednesday before school.
I consider my self agnostic, this has never been a massive issue with Christian peers. There have been civil debates with a somewhat fiery tone on the side of Christians, but today was different.
I recently purchased a copy of “The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster” http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster. (http: //en.wikip edia.org/w iki/Flying _Spaghetti _Monster.) Not a bad book. Well I have 2 friends interested in the book so I took it to school to show them. The first I see early in the morning. He found it funny. We joked about it and read a few passages.
My seconded friend who showed more interest in it did not find it so funny. At one time he claimed he wished to get because its “firkin’ Hilarious” but his father, who is extremely religious, said it was a mockery of there religion (Christianity). Apparently in-between that time and today his opinion have been swayed to be in line with that of his father’s. Do say he the lest he did not like it.
I show him the book and tell him I bought it in a bookstore that’s out of town. He says that it offends his religion. Me, not knowing his opinion has been swayed, says sarcastically “Yes The Flying Spaghetti Monster offends your religion” This did not go over well. His tone became very angry at which he insists that the bible has to be true because it has been in print for 2000 years.(before print?) and that my book should be burned and it offends Christians, calls the book “gay gay gay…” and follows up that the Flying Spaghetti Monster can’t be real because god would of had to made the spaghetti. That last argument really did fit with the others but he must of though it seemed to be logical
The whole time I try to explain that it is satire to prevent ID and Creatiosm being thought in science class, but unable to get a word in a word edge wise. Then he gets a friend of his, back up of sorts, and tells him that this book offends Christians. He looks at the title and quickly takes his side with only seeing a few pictures of the book and also says it should be burned.
Before he could progress his argument there is a tornado drill. I put the book in my book bag and proceed to the designated tornado drill area. I walk with my friend trying to debate civilly but then his friend runs up on us with my book that he apparently took from my book bag and says that “[The Author] is going to hell”. I grab the book from his hands at which time he proclaims to that I do not accept Jesus as my savor to all that will listing. Shortly after words my friend shouts “My Religious book has been around for 2000 years It has to be true” in a serious tone. He then moves to claim that the end times are coming.
I try to explain holes in his evidence that he uses to explain the end times are coming but he just continues
We get to class and my friend’ friend tells the teacher “ [I] have a book that makes fun of Christians” as if was a dangerous substance like cocaine or explosives. I try to explain but the teacher uses a hand gesture to convey “So?”
We are giving work to do and we do it until the last 7 or so minutes class, at which time we continue the debate. My friend’s friend says I am going to hell; interrogate me as to why I do not go to church and questions why any one would make such a book. Again I try to explain but before I can finish a sentence my friend quotes the bible that says something alone the lines that it better to chose to be ignorant than “Know of such evils”. I was shocked I verified with him twice if he believes this and he affirms that he does. I find that scary.
2 more join in and form a half circle around me. One yells at me that I am a communist and the other claims that there are people that will kill over such books, That Author is going to hell, and a few personal attacks. When I tried to defend my self he starts in a rapid secession of “shut up shut up shut up” flowed by “you just don’t know when to shut up” and more personal attacks.
SHORTVERSION/CONCUSION A group of Christians Freak out about something small and refuse to listing to any other point of view.
And what made the Christians so angry? My friend only saw obviously photoshoped pictures that proclaimed the flying spaghetti monster as God, and my friend’s friend became so enraged when he saw “New testicle” in reference to the new testament every one else only one else only saw the title and fallowed the others.
[This message has been edited by Q777 (edited 05-16-2006).]
I live in a small town in the mid west. My (public) school is very Christian. Many teachers and students can be found with crosses on there necks and there a Christian related meeting in the school gym every Wednesday before school.
I consider my self agnostic, this has never been a massive issue with Christian peers. There have been civil debates with a somewhat fiery tone on the side of Christians, but today was different.
I recently purchased a copy of “The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster” http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Flying_Spaghetti_Monster. (http: //en.wikip edia.org/w iki/Flying _Spaghetti _Monster.) Not a bad book. Well I have 2 friends interested in the book so I took it to school to show them. The first I see early in the morning. He found it funny. We joked about it and read a few passages.
My seconded friend who showed more interest in it did not find it so funny. At one time he claimed he wished to get because its “firkin’ Hilarious” but his father, who is extremely religious, said it was a mockery of there religion (Christianity). Apparently in-between that time and today his opinion have been swayed to be in line with that of his father’s. Do say he the lest he did not like it.
I show him the book and tell him I bought it in a bookstore that’s out of town. He says that it offends his religion. Me, not knowing his opinion has been swayed, says sarcastically “Yes The Flying Spaghetti Monster offends your religion” This did not go over well. His tone became very angry at which he insists that the bible has to be true because it has been in print for 2000 years.(before print?) and that my book should be burned and it offends Christians, calls the book “gay gay gay…” and follows up that the Flying Spaghetti Monster can’t be real because god would of had to made the spaghetti. That last argument really did fit with the others but he must of though it seemed to be logical
The whole time I try to explain that it is satire to prevent ID and Creatiosm being thought in science class, but unable to get a word in a word edge wise. Then he gets a friend of his, back up of sorts, and tells him that this book offends Christians. He looks at the title and quickly takes his side with only seeing a few pictures of the book and also says it should be burned.
Before he could progress his argument there is a tornado drill. I put the book in my book bag and proceed to the designated tornado drill area. I walk with my friend trying to debate civilly but then his friend runs up on us with my book that he apparently took from my book bag and says that “[The Author] is going to hell”. I grab the book from his hands at which time he proclaims to that I do not accept Jesus as my savor to all that will listing. Shortly after words my friend shouts “My Religious book has been around for 2000 years It has to be true” in a serious tone. He then moves to claim that the end times are coming.
I try to explain holes in his evidence that he uses to explain the end times are coming but he just continues
We get to class and my friend’ friend tells the teacher “ [I] have a book that makes fun of Christians” as if was a dangerous substance like cocaine or explosives. I try to explain but the teacher uses a hand gesture to convey “So?”
We are giving work to do and we do it until the last 7 or so minutes class, at which time we continue the debate. My friend’s friend says I am going to hell; interrogate me as to why I do not go to church and questions why any one would make such a book. Again I try to explain but before I can finish a sentence my friend quotes the bible that says something alone the lines that it better to chose to be ignorant than “Know of such evils”. I was shocked I verified with him twice if he believes this and he affirms that he does. I find that scary.
2 more join in and form a half circle around me. One yells at me that I am a communist and the other claims that there are people that will kill over such books, That Author is going to hell, and a few personal attacks. When I tried to defend my self he starts in a rapid secession of “shut up shut up shut up” flowed by “you just don’t know when to shut up” and more personal attacks.
SHORTVERSION/CONCUSION A group of Christians Freak out about something small and refuse to listing to any other point of view.
And what made the Christians so angry? My friend only saw obviously photoshoped pictures that proclaimed the flying spaghetti monster as God, and my friend’s friend became so enraged when he saw “New testicle” in reference to the new testament every one else only one else only saw the title and fallowed the others.
[This message has been edited by Q777 (edited 05-16-2006).]